SOUTH HILL
PLEASE WAND OVER PICTURES FOR TEXT
2009 Hatched pullets enjoying a nice warm October afternoon
Super Grand Champion of the 2009 ABA Semi-Annual a cockeral of mine from Mating 1
Example of one of my 2009 hatched pullets
Some young cockerals enjoying some sun and green grass by the firepit
and willing to share my eggs, young birds, and adults from my champion lines with anyone else interested in getting started with this wonderful breed. I began my love affair with white wyandottes as a small boy almost 50 years ago when I purchased my first birds from Paul Fontaine from Abington, Massachusetts who was a member of the New England Bantam club. Of course like most young people my interests changed and I went away to college and the bantams went as well. After a lengthy break while newly married I finally had a small patch of land in a rental house and asked my wife if she minded if I got a few chickens. I have many people over the years to thank for the line I have today as I have used individual birds (sometimes waiting 2 to 3 years to get a bird) to improve things I believed were lacking in my line . I have always loved science, genetics and I am meticulous about the records I keep on my birds lineage. Because of my love of wyandottes I always considered it an honor when I was able to get a bird from the great breeders many who have passed on. I am not afraid to purchase a bird occasionally to incorporate into my line but make sure after 2 to 4 generations that my lines are 95 % pure back to my original strains. Some of the people I would like to thank for giving me birds in the last two decades are Dick Lewis from Hillsboro, Oregon - Ken Cooke from Oregon, Brian Mudgett from Washington (Rose Johnson and Milt Gadberry lines), Charles Wabeck, Shelby Harrington, Paul Ashbrook from Ohio, Art Lundgren from New York, James Smith from Arizona, Milt Gadberry from Kansas, and Jim Sallee from California who gave me a small pullet with a wonderful head. I have often purchased or had given to me a single bird that I used to blend into the tapestry of my 3 ROSES FARM line of wyandottes. I hope if I share birds with you that you take the responsibility of continuing the awesome legacy and challenge of accepting the passed baton, weaving your own tapestry to improve upon my 30 years of work and have the awesome satisfaction of creating a line bred lineage of wyandottes that reproduce the consistent qualities that you admire while being consistent with the ABA and APA Standard of Perfection.
Below in an excellent excerpt from an article written by the Wyandotte Breeders of America that you may find helpful in maintaining and continuing to develop and improve your strain:
Wyandotte Bantams continue to rise in popularity. According to recent data from the American Bantam Association they represent the second largest number of entries in U.S. shows over the past three years, behind only Old English Game Bantams. Why such popularity? Here are a few reasons why many of us think Wyandottes are such a wonderful breed in the world of poultry.
Standard sized Wyandottes first became popular during the first half of this century because of their dual purpose productivity. In other words, they were excellent layers but also plump and appealing meat birds. Their real claim to fame was the ability to withstand cold winters, particularly in the midwest, because their rose combs were much less vulnerable to frostbite than single combed birds.
Today the Wyandotte Bantam as well as their beautiful large counterpart is popular for other reasons. One obvious factor is their general appearance. Here we have a bird that is compact, broad, deep and balanced in carriage. It possesses a geometric grace that is hard to match. It is a bird of curves with gently angular lines and circles that present a boldness as well as charm to the observer.
The balance and poise of the Wyandotte is topped off by the neatness of the rose comb, the trait spoken of earlier that had great utility in earlier days. While there is beauty in all the comb types, I have always found the appealing comb of the Wyandotte to possess a classy and neat look that reminds me of a Roman Soldier's helmet. This comb sitting on top of the nice broad head is a distinctive feature of the Wyandotte breed.
Wyandottes are also appealing because of their level of activity. They are not high-strung or flighty birds, but neither are that passive or inactive. They are often referred to as "those industrious Wyandottes" because the females always seem busy at work throughout their purposeville days. The combination of European and Asian bloodlines in the creation of this breed has led to a nice blend of activity and gentleness.
Wyandottes come in a large variety of colors, again second only to Old English Game in the number of color patterns. We have emphasized to those who are interested in beginning with Wyandottes that excellent contributions can be made by focusing on one of the less popular varieties. Particularly if one is a beginner in this breed, there are advantages to specializing in one or two varieties as opposed to breeding several. Each of the varieties has it beauty and we are seeing a rising level of interest in "bringing back" some of the more rare varieties in our shows.
Great progress has been made during the past couple of years in communicating to judges and show officials, as well as breeders, the essential features of the Wyandotte breed. We are also looking more closely at the large fowl in our breed, realizing that this is the standard that we should always be aiming for. We admire and value the large fowl and support our breeders in this area. So "bunny tails," short legs showing no thigh, narrow heads, legs that are not yellow in color, narrow bodies, pinched tails, and wings and tails that are too long, are all things that are being watched more carefully. There is a new awareness that is leading to lots of conversation. (http://www.crohio.com/wyan/wyan2day.html)
Above are pictures of the only 3 cockerels entered that placed 1st through 3rd in a class of 13 cockerels at the 2013 American Bantam Association National show in Stockton, California. It was also the Wyandotte Breeders of America club with over 200 Wyandottes shown.
